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Rhizome notching

Looking for info on how to stimulate new shoot formation along the rhizome by notching. Interested in when to do it, how to do it, and why you'd do this compared to dividing the rhizome via cutting or breaking. Thanks...
 
The reason for doing it is that a particular section of rhizome may not have any growing points or roots - by notching it, you can stimulate new growing points from the rhizome while still being attached to the parent plant. The way to do it is to simply make a v-shaped cut perpendicular to the long axis of the rhizome. If it's too shallow, it'll simply close up, so make sure that it's significant.

Having said that, I have found a better method: When I am cleaning bogs, instead of cutting the dead pitchers I pull them off the parent plant. This has the effect of tearing and cutting into living tissue and stimulate new growth. This procedure is not for the faint of heart and you may wish to try it on sarras which you have spares of.
 
I have done both the notching method as well as Brokken's over the years and either route will eventually work. The notching is a bit more predictable than simply uprooting older pitcher leaves; and each notch almost always produces new growth (when I wished to have seven cuttings of "Schnell's Ghost," I ended up with seven).

The method is best used earlier in the season (during late winter dormancy or early Spring), upon re-potting . . .
 
Great info, guys!

I have a question about the notching... Should the V-cut be oriented like in my drawing below? How wide and deep should the notch generally be? Should I be able to see the bright white innards of the rhizome when I made the notch?

SarrNotching.jpg



Thanks!
 
I was going to do a whole post on this subject but you guys saved me the time.

Great info, guys!

I have a question about the notching... Should the V-cut be oriented like in my drawing below? How wide and deep should the notch generally be? Should I be able to see the bright white innards of the rhizome when I made the notch?

Thanks!

Joossa - the pics below are of some notching I did a month or two ago. I did about eight different rhizomes but here are a few so you can see how deep they are and how I planted it in the media.

This was one piece of rhizome I used.
lh181564x750.jpg


And this was another piece after the notching.
ah61750x564.jpg


ah62750x564.jpg


This was the first rhizome from above notched and planted in the media.
lh182750x564.jpg


Now I'm just waiting for growth.

I use Brokken's method all the time for stimulating new growth along the rhizome of potted plants. I only use the notching method when I have extra chunks of rhizome with no crowns on them.
 
Above the media? Interesting. I always bury mine back down to where any still-attached points are just emerging from the soil line.
Who thinks what about depth of notches? I've heard people say that you're supposed to cut half or more than halfway through, but then when I looked around the pretty ICPS articles I read said that something on the order of 5mm was called for. In my experience, most Sarr rhizomes are more than 10mm thick, so...
I've also had success with scars on the rhizome from pulling live leaves. I don't know if I've ever been so bold as to just cut rhizome with no leaves into sections and trust that they'll all take, though. :D
~Joe
 
Excellent photos Fred. Thanks!
 
  • #11
I have not yet tried notching, but something that was said earlier got my attention.

I tend to do my "housekeeping" in late winter/early spring, and I also rip off the old, brown leaf stubs to make way for the new ones. I noticed the other day that on many of the rhizomes that I "stripped", there are a lot of little red buds sprouting out of the leaf scars.

This is something I'd like to try to deliberately re-create.
 
  • #12
Above the media? Interesting. I always bury mine back down to where any still-attached points are just emerging from the soil line.
Who thinks what about depth of notches? I've heard people say that you're supposed to cut half or more than halfway through, but then when I looked around the pretty ICPS articles I read said that something on the order of 5mm was called for. In my experience, most Sarr rhizomes are more than 10mm thick, so...
I've also had success with scars on the rhizome from pulling live leaves. I don't know if I've ever been so bold as to just cut rhizome with no leaves into sections and trust that they'll all take, though. :D
~Joe

I try to leave the notches above the media to expose them to sunlight and stimulate growth. And as far as the depth of the notch, I only go deep enough to wound the rhizome and it always seems to work. I've also cut up crownless rhizomes into sections and planted them with great success. Even ones with little or no roots seem to eventually grow again. It's worth a try.
 
  • #13
I can't wait to try it out tomorrow. How long (on average) does it usually take to see whether the notches were a success (see new growth)?
 
  • #14
I have not yet tried notching, but something that was said earlier got my attention.

I tend to do my "housekeeping" in late winter/early spring, and I also rip off the old, brown leaf stubs to make way for the new ones. I noticed the other day that on many of the rhizomes that I "stripped", there are a lot of little red buds sprouting out of the leaf scars.

This is something I'd like to try to deliberately re-create.

That's what Brokken was talking about above and it does work well. I strip all of mine off (when possible) just for that reason.

---------- Post added at 11:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:15 PM ----------

I can't wait to try it out tomorrow. How long (on average) does it usually take to see whether the notches were a success (see new growth)?

If the weather is nice, you should start seeing signs in a fews weeks. But it all depends on the weather for me since mine are grown outside year round. The ones I did a month ago are still just sitting idle but it's finally starting to warm up so I'll be watching.
 
  • #15
Wow! Nice thread and I had no clue you could do this. Anyone notching this year? If so, any pics of the results?
 
  • #16
I did this with my S. minor last year. It's hard to tell which crown the leaves are coming from now.
 
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